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II.

when his Pruffian majesty entered them fword in CHAP. hand. Her Hungarian majefty, in her answer to the declarations of the Pruffian minifter, expreffed all poffible regard to the friendship of 1740. the King of Pruffia, and was fure she could not be reproached with having neglected any opportunity to cultivate it; but without the leaft infringement of that principle fhe could not help remarking, "That the band, by which all the "members of the empire were united, founded

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upon the cleareft ftipulation of the golden bull, "obliges them all, to affift any one of them, "who fhall be attacked in the dominions which "make a part in the Germanic body; and "this was in effect the fubftance of his Pruffian "majesty's first propofal; though it did not ex"tend fo far as the engagement refulting from the guaranty of the pragmatic fanction, with "which the whole empire was charged. The queen gratefully acknowleged the good in"tentions of his Pruffian majefty, with regard "to the election of the emperor; but as the "election ought to be free, and to be made in "the manner prescribed by the golden bull; fo "fhe was of opinion, that nothing had a greater

tendency to obftruct it, than the disturbances "raised in the heart of the empire. She alledged, "that what his Pruffian majefty had already "taken from Silefia, under pretence of fubfifting his troops there, added to the immenfe

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damage that refulted from the ruin of the country, furpaffed the two millions offered her majefty by the King of Pruffia.-Her ma"jefty declared, that he had no manner of in"tention to begin her reign by difmembering her "dominions, and thought herfelf obliged in "honour and confcience to maintain the pragVOL. I. Cc "matic

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PART "matic fanction against any infraction of it II: " and from thence it followed, that he could "not confent to the entire ceffion of Silefia, or of 1740. any part of that duchy. Nevertheless she was ftill ready to renew the fincerest friendship with the King of Pruffia, provided it might « be done without fuch infraction of the prag"matic fanction, and on the Pruffian troops "immediately retiring from her dominions. "And that this, in her majefty's opinion, was "the only method confiftent with equity and justice, with the fundamental laws of the em

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pire, with the public welfare, and the bal "lance of power in Europe; and was confe"quently the only ftep that could be conducive "to the true glory of his Pruffian majesty. The Queen moft earnestly intreated his Pruffian majesty to embrace this method, and conjured "him to it by all the confiderations that might poffibly make an impreffion upon the heart of a great prince."

POSSIBLY the refufal of the Queen of Hungary, might have been animated on the great confidence the repofed in the affiftance of his Britannic majefty; fince in compenfation for a release of part of Silefia, and to the restoration of a part of that duchy his Pruffian majefty had an indifputable right, the king offered his whole force to continue her Hungarian majefly in poffeffion of all the other dominions fhe inherited from her father, together with his whole intereft to fet the grand duke upon the Imperial throne; which was a propofal of the highest confequence, and worthy of the most ready acceptance; but as it was then heard with reluctance, fo the court of Vienna had afterwards an occafion of condemning their own obftinacy,

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and after feeling the force of fo puiffant an ene- CHAP. my, at last found themfelves obliged to purchase II. his friendship on feverer terms than what he had formerly propofed.

His Pruffian majefty immediately dispatched letters in justification of his conduct to the diet at Ratisbon, and to his minifters refiding at foreign courts, representing, "That his troops had not "entered Silefia with any ill intention, but only "to fecure from imminent danger his incontefti"ble right to that duchy. That he had no de

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fign to prejudice any perfon, much less the "archiducal family of Auftria, of which he "would give convincing proofs to all the world: "that he would do his utmost to maintain the "conftitutions of the empire, and fhould be "glad to employ his forces to preserve the

rights, liberties, and privileges of all its mem"bers and ftates entire; and that the empire in "general might be fecured against any man"ner of invafion, and furnished with a worthy "head."

THE exercife of his Pruffian majesty's pen did not retard the preparations for the use of his fword. As he had made a confiderable progress in Silefia without any oppofition, he published manifefto, "Affuring the inhabitants of his favour and good will: and that by reafon of the "extinction of the male line in the house of Auftria, that family was expofed to many fad events, fome of which had already manifested "themfelves, and others were on the point of burfting out like a general conflagration, "wherein the duchy of Silefia might happen to "be involved, the prefervation and profperity "of which his majefty always had the more at "heart, becaufe it ferved as a bulwark for his Cc 2 "fecu

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1740.

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PART
II.

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fecurity, and that of his dominions in the em "pire; and to prevent fuch as thought they had "a rightful claim to the hereditary dominions 1740. of the house of Auftria from invading Silefia, " he had been obliged to march his forces into "this duchy, to cover it against any attack: "and as by fo doing, he had no manner of in"tention to prejudice or difoblige the Queen of "Hungary, with whom he had refolved, and

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earnestly wished, to maintain a ftrict friendship, as well as with all the Austrian family, "and after the example of his predeceffors to "contribute to their true intereft and preferva❝tion. Therefore the inhabitants of Silefia might be affured, that they had no hoftility to fear either from him or his troops; but "that on the contrary, they should find the full "effects of his royal protection and powerful fupport, by being maintained in the enjoy

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ment of their lawful rights and privileges. "And his majefty firmly trufted, that these "gracious offers and declarations, would make "them cautious of doing or attempting any

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thing, in any manner whatsoever against his

majefty, and of undertaking any thing that "might oblige him hereafter, against his will, "to have a recourfe to other measures, which might be attended with fuch fatal confe"quences as they could thank none but them"felves for."

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To oppofe the effects of this manifesto, the Count Schaffgotfch, director of the regency of Silefia, published a counter declaration," That "as the queen was perfuaded that the King of "Pruffia might have been induced to take this ftep by the advice of fome evil-minded perfons, the hoped from the equity of that prince, that

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"he he would not deny to withdraw his troops; CHAP. " and that if his Pruffian majefty refufed to do II. "fo, fo, the queen declared to her own fubjects, w "and to those of foreign powers who had any 1740. "mortgage upon Silefia, that fhe could not "take upon her to answer the evil confequences "which might refult therefrom; protesting, "that he never intended to confent to the in"troducing any innovations in the duchy of Si"lefia,"

THE Hungarian forces in Silefia were too inconfiderable to oppose the rapid progrefs of his Pruffian majefty; and as very few of the towns were fortified, his army met with no oppofition in their march, till they approached Great Glogaw, a ftrong city on the Oder, near the confines of Poland, where Count Wenceflaws Wallis commanded a fmall Auftrian garrison, and refused the Pruffians admittance, refolving to defend the place to the laft extremity. Therefore the King of Pruffia, thinking it neceffary to get to Breflau, the capital of Silefia, as foon as poffible, left a body of his troops under the command of Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Deffau, to form the blockade of Glogaw, and proceeded with the main body of his army, confifting of about 25,000 men, to Breflau. On the 22d of December, his majefty entered that city, attended by only thirty of his life-guards, where he was received with great demonftrations of joy. He immediately promifed the inhabitants that they should enjoy all their antient privileges, particularly that of not having a garrifon in their city; upon condition however that his troops fhould have a free paffage through the city, that they should lodge in the fuburbs, be allowed to erect magazines there, and that the city should

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